Texas Bicycling News Digest April 14th 2017

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400 miles and 28.95 hours of living in the moment

Dr. Mark McGraw | www.obu.edu


During the last weekend of spring break 2017, I competed in the Race Across America (RAAM) qualifying bicycle race in Marble Falls, Texas. The race consisted of 400 miles in a big loop around the Texas Hill Country. Only 10 individual cyclists started the 400, most opting for the “short” 214 mile route. Six of us finished.
By the numbers, it took me 28 hours and 57 minutes to cover the course, including stops for food and a 20-minute nap. My bike computer tells me I burned more than 12,000 calories as I climbed and …

The Great Migration: Woman bikes through Denton on butterfly trail

by Caitlyn Jones | www.dentonrc.com

Loaded down with an air mattress, tool kit, camera equipment and plenty of snacks, Sara Dykman wheeled her bicycle into the Newton Rayzor Elementary School library.
“Can you guys tell me why my bike might be called the Butter Bike?” the 32-year-old wildlife biologist asked a group of excited fifth-graders. “I’ll give …

City Bike Ride Around Downtown/Town Lake Austin, TX

Joseph Marfoglio | www.austinseo1.info


My wife and I riding around Town Lake and parts of Downtown Austin, TX… What a beautiful city we have!

Waco seeks input about walking and biking in city

By Estephany Escobar | www.kxxv.com

Video

WACO, TX (KXXV) – The Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization is asking for the public’s input regarding biking and walking in the city to develop its Active Transportation Plan Development.
The plan would provide a framework for improving walking and biking conditions through the year 2045, according to Waco MPO documents.
Currently, the city has an online survey that asks residents whether they …

Day 36: Spoke Alert!

by Cyclesome | www.mybikeitlist.com


Navasota, TX to Cleveland, TX (71.6 miles, 14.3 mph, 2,641 ft. of elevation gain, 3,370 calories burned)
This morning the sun was shining and the skies were blue! I was pumped!! It was looking like a great day for cycling! But it didn’t last long.
I ate breakfast, placed my luggage in the trailer, and then went to my …

Pace Bend Wrap up and Video!!

By Woody C. Harrison | www.austinridgeriders.com

This year’s Pace Bend MTB Race and Festival sponsored by Chumba Cycles USA was record breaking fun! We had more racers than any year, ever, and probably the best weather too. We had a total of 556 racers, which just shows how popular our little trail has become with Texas mountain bikers. We sincerely hope you had a great time.
Our web master, bike racer, and video producer Cooper Sellers created this killer edit highlighting all the fun. Look closely, you’re probably in it somewhere!!!

Florida Bound

By Charles Brun | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 31: Kerrville to Johnson City Texas
Friday April 14, 2017, 63 miles (101 km) – Total so far: 1,684 miles (2,710 km)
Toaday was a really fun day as I took smoother roads to Johnson City and the southeast winds never amounted to much of an issue.
I set the alarm for 6 am as I thought I would have a 71 mile day. Once rolling at 7:45 am I let Google Maps lead me out of town. I am glad I did as the shortest route was Texas 270 which ran south of the Adventure Cycling route.
First up was a quiet ride through Schriener University, which is a small Liberal Arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. It must have been spring break as the campus was deserted.
When I realized that highway 270 would take me all the way to Johnson City I thought, why do I need to beat myself up on the slower, and hillier Adventure Cycling route? It was a 4-lane road with …

This weekend’s rides: Round Rock Donuts! Red Horn!

by Thomas | steinerranchcycling.com

Saturday is our fast day, although many of the hammer heads will be racing the San Marvelous road race. It should still be a peppy pace as we will head up to Round Rock to do a loop and have a yellow donut. The ride is 57 miles and the route is here: https://www.strava.com/routes/6606274. After the ride we meet up at Lakeside for some discounted burgers and beer!

Sunday is our usual Coffee Shop ride to …

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Tacky Sunscreen and Bugs Bike Ride

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Last night when I went to the garage to take out the trash I squeezed the front tire of my Stradalli and the tire felt a tiny bit soft. I had aired up the tires a few days ago so the pressure should have still been hard. This morning I went out to check the tire again and it felt softer. After breakfast I took the tire off the bike and pulled the tube out for a leak check. After passing the tube through water the only bubble I found was at the valve stem where the Presta core screws in. I tighten the core about a quarter turn, put the tube back in the tire and aired it up. After today’s bike ride on the “New Caney – Roman Forest – Valley Ranch” route the front tire still feels hard to the squeeze; maybe the quarter turn fixed the slow leak.

Today’s bike ride totaled 39.39 miles moving the week to 125.71 miles and April to 380.19 miles (49% of my 772 mile goal). I am a few miles ahead of schedule for both the April goal and year goal.

The weather was good for biking: 83 degrees at the finish (home weather station), mostly cloudy sky which made it a little chilly when the sun was behind the clouds with the strong wind. My home weather station has a problem measuring the wind due to the houses and trees so I rely on the airport weather for a better idea of the wind. Today the airport wind showed from the SE at 16 mph with 22 mph gusts. I could tell the wind was strong but I didn’t realize it was that strong until I took the screenshot at the end of the ride (2:43 pm). I could’ve worn a long sleeve jersey and been comfortable but I opted for short sleeves. The bugs must be coming out now that it has warmed up and rained some. Sunscreen on my arms was tacky enough for some of the bugs to stick when I rode into them. Flying ants and a few “love bugs” got a bike ride whether they wanted it or not.

Other than tacky bugs and the strong wind nothing unusual happened on the bike ride. I stopped at the Stripes on FM 1314 for a short rest after fighting the wind from Roman Forest Blvd. I refilled my water bottle and ate a trail mix bar I brought.

About a mile from on a street I biked many times a small dog darted out of a driveway barking in hot pursuit of me but I easily rode away leaving him it the middle of the street. I never saw this dog before.

I am still getting used to the PowerPod figuring out how to change my riding to improve my power. Maybe the 3 second moving average is better to watch than the real time number that jumps around a lot.

Saturday’s weather looks good for a bike ride and maybe I can start a little earlier than today’s 11:40 am start.

Link to today’s ride on Strava.com and RideWithGPS.com.

Golden Cheetah ride summary

GC ride summary

Strava extended statistics

Strava extended statistics

Today’s weather: home weather at the start, home weather at the end and airport weather at the finish

Texas Bicycling News Digest April 13th 2017

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Taking the cancer fight on the road

By SARA CAPPIELLO | www.codyenterprise.com


A Cody man is taking action in the fight against cancer, with two wheels and a mind full of determination.
Paul Blough, an active cyclist, lost his wife Shelia to pancreatic cancer last October. In honor of her, Blough is taking a 2,100-mile bike ride from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to the John Hopkins Cancer Center in Baltimore, Md., to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer.
“I know a 2,100-mile bicycle journey will be a challenging adventure,” Blough said. “I have my website and …

Gonzales cyclists to ride in 535 mile trip

By Brandie Richardson | www.weeklycitizen.com


Dozens of cyclists will pedal over 500 miles from Houston to New Orleans next month as part of the annual Tour du Rouge bicycle fundraiser. Among the cyclists is two-time rider Tyrone Smith of Gonzales.
Smith rode in the six day, 535-mile-trip, last year and knew he wanted to do it again next year because of not only his love of riding, but of his desire to help and support others.
“I realized last year when I did the ride that it was something I would be …

Cycling restores hope for vets

By Kelby Wingert | www.forthoodsentinel.com


Last week, Project Hero’s annual Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge rolled through Central Texas and made an overnight stop at the Great Place. Ride 2 Recovery started nearly a decade ago as an organization to help military veterans and first responders who have been affected by post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and physical injuries.
The national organization for vets and first responders uses cycling as a tool for recovery and …

Tyler native training for 4K mile bike ride to Alaska

Michael Aaron, KYTX | www.cbs19.tv

AUSTIN – In June, a group of students from the University of Texas at Austin will embark on a journey from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska.
The group, known as Texas 4000, is made up of 76 students on a mission to share hope knowledge and charity in the fight against cancer.
Catherine Butschi, a 2012 graduate of Tyler’s Robert E. Lee High School will make the trip.
“It’s incredible to look back and …

Day 35: A Bit of Blues in Navasota, TX

Cyclesome | www.mybikeitlist.com

Rest Day in Navasota, Texas (0 miles)
As I biked through Navasota, Texas yesterday, I blinked and almost missed the entire town! It. Is. Small. Navasota has a one main street, Washington Street. At one time, this town used to be a hub for the Union Pacific Railroad and still has a train passing through a few times during the day. …

Bayou Greenway Day 2017

Houston Parks Board | houstonparksboard.org


Get to know your bayou at Bayou Greenway Day, a FREE outdoor festival in MacGregor Park with games, music, giveaways and more. Experience the beauty of Brays Bayou Greenway while enjoying free activities, hosted by Houston Parks Board and other community organizations.
Activities include…
Kayaking
Yoga
Kite Flying
Origami
Bike Rides
Yard Games
Obstacle Course
Zumba
Soccer Drills
Chalk Art
Animal Adoptions
Interactive Storytelling
… and much more!

Florida Bound

By Charles Brun | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 30: Lost Maples Recreation Area to Kerrville Texas
Thursday April 13, 2017, 54 miles (87 km) – Total so far: 1,621 miles (2,609 km)
Today the scenery was much like yesterday what with Texas hills, cloudy skies, and moderate temperatures. The highlights of the day came at the end of the day when I reached the town of Kerrville, which has a population of 23,000 folks.
I set the alarm for 6:15 am so I could get an early start. However I enjoyed camping with the other cyclists and did not start rolling until 8:30 am.
After the final big climb out of the campground the rest of the day was largely downhill though there were many short steep sections where I had to downshift to my lowest gear, thus literally crawled up the inclines. For a brief section I looked down at the GPS and found I had a 10% grade, which is a pretty steep hill for a fully loaded touring bicycle. There is hardly any …

Captains Blog – 4/13/2017 – Training Rides

by Sameer Gokhale | cycling.powweb.com

With bluebonnet season in full swing, there isn’t a better time than April to get back on your bike and get some miles under your belt before the Texas summer hits us. In a couple of weeks, we will have our first training ride (led by Velo Valero) heading out of Bullis Park.
Bullis Park Ride
On April 29, Velo Valero will be leading the scheduled SACA ride from Bullis Park. The details for the ride can be found on the team calendar. Following the ride, please join Velo Valero, SACA, and the National MS Society at the newly-remodeled Specht’s Store for lunch. Specht’s has put $2,000,000 into renovations at the store, and is ready to show off both what’s new (and what’s old and …

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May Park Community Center – Huffman Bike Ride

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I rode out the driveway at 11:34 headed for the “May Park Community Center – Huffman” route. The bike ride went for a total of 40.4 miles helping me to recover from the two missed biking days earlier in the week. The weather was perfect with 80 degrees at the start rising to 83 when I finished at 2:51. The partly cloudy sky and 10 mph SE breeze helped to keep me comfortable. I wore a short sleeve jersey which will probably become the norm now that spring is gaining momentum.

Nothing out of the usual happened on the bike ride which is fine by me. I waved at the men who sit on their porch at Old Atascocita Road and FM 2100.

At the 29.1 mile point I arrived at the Huffman Chevron and decided to take a rest break. Sitting in the shade with the breeze blowing felt nice. I drank water and ate the trail mix bar I brought with me. After about 20 minutes I got back on the bike and headed west on FM 1960 pedaling easily with the help of the wind. Earlier I stopped for two minutes in the shade at the May Community Center.

Looking at the power data the wind must’ve helped with the average power at 61 watts while 71% of the riding time was in Zone 2, higher than previous rides. Maximum power was 278 watts.

More good weather tomorrow so I plan on bicycling.

Golden Cheetah Ride Summary

GC Ride Summary

Link to Strava.com metrics and map.

[iframe http://rwgps-embeds.com/trips/13925114/embed 80% 600px]

Weather at my home weather at the start and airport weather at the finish.

Home weather
Airport weather